THE VR film “Spheres,” directed by Eliza McNitt and executive produced by Darren Aronofsky, will make history with the first-ever VR experience at New York’s Rockefeller Center in a limited engagement from Jan. 18 to March 3.

The film has broken major ground in what may pave the way for VR distribution going forward. It sold at Sundance as the first VR film to snatch a seven-figure deal after it was acquired by CityLights. The three-part film, which takes viewers on a journey through outer space to uncover the sounds of the cosmos, is narrated by Millie Bobby Brown, Jessica Chastain and Patti Smith.

The series launched at the Venice Film Festival with the debut of the first chapter, “Chorus of the Cosmos,” where it won the top prize for VR, the Golden Lion. The second chapter, “Songs of Spacetime,” premiered at Sundance earlier in the year, and the third chapter, “Pale Blue Dot,” bowed at Tribeca. “Spheres” also was the first-ever VR film shown in Telluride.

The installation at Rockefeller Center will be a multimedia installation allowing visitors to feel as if they’re walking into a black hole. Seven viewers will be allowed in at a time to experience the 45-minute film on an Oculus Rift headset.

Tickets, which run US$50, are now on sale for the limited engagement, which will take place seven days a week at 600 Fifth Ave.

The score was written by Grammy-nominated artists Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein (“Stranger Things”) with sound design by Craig Henighan. The installation is supported by HP Virtual Reality Technology and was designed by the Phi Center. (SD-Agencies)